FM166 Rides Again, Niner RIP 9 Deal, Chopping the Merlin

Lots going on.

1. FM166 is rideable again. New RS686 shifters installed, brakes bled, shifters shifting an 11speed Ultegra drivetrain, and tonight cork handlebar tape. First real ride in the AM.
   
2. The Niner RIP 9 XL frameset in Green dropped below $900 at Competitive Cyclist, and after adding too many XT 8000 parts, is going to ship sometime in Oct. Whaa? Gives me time to tell B...
3. Floyd passed on repairing the Merlin, and so I am chopping it. Can't get the crankset off yet - Octalink! - and the water bottle screws might be stripped or worse. Most of the bike is in 3 or 4 ziplock bags. Not much to a bicycle when it all comes down to it.
4. MTB new-old front wheel has been "re-dished" on the bike by yours truly - it was way left I noticed after WMD, and the tension was off, so I cranked it over slowly, tightening and loosening spokes 1/4 turn at a time around and around.
5. Due to #2, the Fork is going in for a rebuild. 
6. Due to #2, the new-old rear American Classic wheel, a "Disc 225", will be upgraded from QR9 to 142x12mm. Recycling is hard to do.
7. MS Ride is NEXT WEEK, not the week after. I lost a week somewhere. HELP!

FM166 Do-Over Parts Are All In, WMD on Long Travel

The final parts, a pair of Shimano 160mm rotors, came in for the FM166. This was after the FSA bar deal on Chain Reaction I could not pass up - this messes up the black/red color scheme, but the quality should be a step up from more random Chinese parts. Maybe.

The bike got very light again after taking off the Ultegra, TRP-Hylex hydraulic shifters and rotors.

I took the Scott 29er with its new-old 120mm fork onto the usual WMD. The extra travel was great downhill, but a bit of a handful uphill - I found myself bailing out a little earlier than I needed to over features I WAS clearing on my old fork (before it completely shriveled).